Last year, Statcast gave us some fun new toys to play with when they dropped their Bat Speed Leaderboards. At the time, we discussed that bat speed had a close correlation to power, with every 1 mph of bat speed earning you approximately six more feet of distance on a batted ball. Now that we have multiple years of data on it, we can more easily see who is coming into the 2025 season with more offensive potential than they demonstrated in the past.
Thanks to Kyle Bland over at Pitcher List, we have this awesome chart on bat speed risers and fallersfor early 2025 action that I encourage you to peruse in detail. What Kyle has also added are columns to show the potential added run value and home run value of each hitter's swing. For example, Brice Turang adding 3 mph to his bat speed is great, but it doesn't bring as much potential run value or power value as Brett Baty adding three mph to his swing since Baty is still swinging six mph faster, etc.
Before we dive into the leaderboard itself, I should just note that seeing a player on here does not automatically mean they're in for a breakout season. It's nice for players to gain bat speed because that's a crucial part of offensive success, but bat speed won't help with swing decisions or a hitter's approach or anything else that can factor into success. Some guys with faster swings also need to recalibrate their contact point, and that takes some time to get used to.
We also don’t have any clear data of when this stat stabilizes. Much like fastball velocity, velocity stats tend to stabilize quicker because players are taking their A swings often and doing it many times a game. So these numbers may changes but I think they’re still actionable now. Yet, this is not a waiver wire column where you're running to add the players who gained bat speed or cut the ones who lost it. This is just a starting point for a larger discussion.
Mookie Betts has bounced back from illness, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. is in a great spot with the Yankees.
Bat Speed Leaderboard - Risers
Just a note before diving into these numbers is that around 71 mph is the leader average bat speed.
| Name | 2024 Bat Speed (mph) | 2025 Bat Speed (mph) | 2025 Bat Speed Val (Runs/100) | ΔBat Speed (mph) | ΔRV/100 Swings | ΔHR% (% of Swings) |
| Jesse Winker | 69.5 | 76.1 | 0.43 | 6.6 | 4.0 | 2.42% |
| Junior Caminero | 77.2 | 80.3 | 3.69 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1.25% |
| Brendan Rodgers | 71.7 | 75.4 | -0.08 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.43% |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | 71.7 | 75.2 | -0.23 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 1.34% |
| Amed Rosario | 71.2 | 74.3 | -0.80 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 1.18% |
| Sean Bouchard | 71.1 | 74.1 | -0.91 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.14% |
| Brett Baty | 73.5 | 76.5 | 0.68 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.21% |
| Daniel Schneemann | 70.7 | 73.7 | -1.14 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.14% |
| Nick Maton | 70.0 | 73.0 | -1.59 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.08% |
| Jordan Beck | 71.4 | 73.9 | -1.02 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.97% |
| CJ Abrams | 72.2 | 74.8 | -0.51 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 0.96% |
| Bryce Harper | 74.0 | 76.6 | 0.74 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.09% |
| Kameron Misner | 70.2 | 73.0 | -1.59 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.03% |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | 70.6 | 73.2 | -1.45 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.00% |
| James Wood | 73.9 | 76.4 | 0.63 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.04% |
| Ben Rice | 71.4 | 73.7 | -1.14 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.91% |
| Logan O'Hoppe | 70.7 | 73.2 | -1.45 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 0.96% |
Instead of sorting just by added bat speed, I've sorted this list by added Run Value per 100 swings, so we should already be getting to players who have added the most potential fantasy value with their swings. I'm not going to talk about all of these guys, and there are a few players who don't appear on here that I do want to mention briefly, so I will once again encourage you to play around with the whole sheet.
Jesse Winker - OF, New York Mets: Winker has added 6.6 mph to his bat speed and is up to 76.1 mph. If he had enough swings to qualify, that would put him 16th in baseball, tied with Ryan Mountcastle and Gabriel Arias (yes, Gabriel Arias). Winker is just 2-for-16 so far on the season, but for a player who has battled back injuries over the years, it seems Winker is 100% healthy coming into the season, which is nice to see. He'll be the regular DH for the Mets against right-handed pitchers, so maybe this will turn into something.
Junior Caminero - 3B, Tampa Bay Rays: Not sure anybody needs to be told Junior Caminero is good, but it's nice to see him add 3.1 mph to his bat speed. That has taken up him to a 80.3mph average bat speed, which is best in all of baseball. That has also added 2.7 Run Value per 100 swings and 1.25% to his HR rate per swing. Now if he could just raise his launch angle a touch from -0.4 degrees, we might be onto something.
Brendan Rodgers - 2B, Houston Astros: Rodgers has added 3.7 mph to his bat speed, which puts him at 75.4 mph overall and well above the league average. We've never seen Rodgers be a huge power hitter, even in Colorado, but we also know he's battled a multitude of injuries so, much like with Winker, this may suggest that Rodgers is feeling healthy. He's also getting a chance to run with the starting second base job in Houston, so if this bat speed can lead to some strong contact, there could be fantasy value here.
Brett Baty - 2B/3B, New York Mets: Baty was a sleeper in drafts thanks to a strong spring training and an injury to Jeff McNeil, but he's gone just 1-for-14 to start the season with four strikeouts and no walks. Still, he has five hard-hit baseballs, and these numbers show us a 3 mph increase in his bat speed, which boosts him 1.21% HR rate per swing. At some point, the hits need to start to fall for him to keep getting starts at second base, but I wouldn't give up yet.
Kameron Misner - OF, Tampa Bay Rays: Misner has found himself with a shot at a starting job thanks to an oblique injury that could keep Josh Lowe out for multiple months. The 27-year-old Misner is off to a good start, going 5-for-14 with one home run and four RBI so far this season. He's added 2.8 mph to his bat speed, which has added 1.7 Run Value per 100 swings, which puts him 15th overall on this list. Remember that Misner was a former first-round pick, who hit .248/.360/.442 with 17 home runs and 30 steals in Triple-A for the Rays last season. This could be deep league worthy while Lowe is out.
Pete Crow-Armstrong - OF, Chicago Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong was a popular pick in fantasy drafts this off-season, but a lot of that had to do with him stealing 27 bases in 123 games last year and playing elite defense in center field, which should keep him in the lineup regularly. However, PCA has added 2.6 mph to his bat speed, which now gives him an above-average mark of 73.2 mph. He did have a 7.4% barrel rate last year and solid pull and fly ball rates, so perhaps this added bat speed will give him a little bit more juice than we thought.
Ben Rice - 1B, New York Yankees: I wrote about Ben Rice as a potential second-year breakout earlier in the off-season, so I love seeing him on this list. He's now up to 73.7 mph on his bat speed and added 0.91% to his HR rate per swing. I just need him to be in the lineup every day at this point.
Griffin Conine - OF, Miami Marlins: Griffin Conine is another player who's getting an opportunity thanks to injury (Jesus Sanchez is out with an oblique injury), and is trying to make the most of it. So far this season, Conine has gone 6-for-21 with one home run and four runs scored. He's added 2.4 mph to his bat speed, which puts him at 75.4 mph on average and ranks him 69th in baseball, right behind Marcel Ozuna. Conine did hit 20 home runs in the minors in 2023 and 19 home runs in 112 Triple-A games last year, so there could be 20+ home run power here with a player who is on the strong side of a platoon for the time being.
Brice Turang - 2B, Milwaukee Brewers: I mentioned Turang above because he added 3.9 mph to his bat speed, but that took him from 66.2 mph last year to 70.1 mph this year, which is still below average. Turang has never really made a fantasy impact because of authoritative contact, so added bat speed may not really make a big difference here, but we'll keep an eye on it and see.
Alejandro Kirk - C, Toronto Blue Jays: Kirk was a late target of mine in two-catcher leagues, and he's gotten off to a good start, going 6-for-19 with three runs and two RBI in five games. He's also added 2.5 mph to his bat speed, which has added 1.4 Run Value per 100 swings, that's 26th best on this sheet. Kirk has also been getting the ball into the air more so far with a 14.6 degree launch angle. I think the power is gonna come.
Miguel Vargas - 3B/OF, Chicago White Sox: Vargas had a big spring training and started to establish himself as a potential post-hype guy after disappointing with the Dodgers and with Chicago after coming over at the trade deadline. So far, Vargas is just 4-for-21, but his average exit velocity is 92.8 mph, which is much better than the career 87 mph mark he's posted in 402 MLB batted ball events. Overall, Vargas has added 2.3 mph to his bat speed, which now puts him at an above-average 72.1 mph average. I still love adding Vargas in deeper formats.
Ryan Mountcastle - 1B, Baltimore Orioles: I've always been a fan of Ryan Mountcastle, and I was a big fan of his this year with the Orioles moving the left field fences in. The 28-year-old has been hammering the ball so far this year, with a max exit velocity of 116.7mph that's over 2 mph more than the hardest ball he's ever hit in his career. He also has an average exit velocity of 93 mph, which could be thanks to adding 1.6 mph to his bat speed, which has added 1.1 Run Value per 100 swings. The power is coming, and I'd be trying to buy shares of Mountcastle now.
Nolan Jones - OF, Cleveland Guardians: Much like with Jesse Winker and Brendan Rodgers, Nolan Jones adding 1.8 mph to his bat speed and now averaging 72.5 mph is a good sign that his back is feeling pretty good right now. He's on the strong side of a platoon in right field in Cleveland, so if Jones were to stay healthy, there could be some fantasy juice here.
Gabriel Arias - 2B, Cleveland Guardians: I just wanted to quickly mention Arias because he has added 1.3 mph to his swing but now has an average bat speed of 76.1 mph, which is 17th-best in all of baseball. It's a faster bat speed than Elly De La Cruz, Bryce Harper, and many other established power hitters. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt talked up Arias in spring training, and the 25-year-old has gone 6-for-19 with one home run and two RBI to start the season. He's a name to keep an eye on in deeper formats given that Vogt has used him at 2B, 3B, and SS already this season.
I'll also end by just pointing out a bunch of "boring" veterans who qualified amongst the leaders in added run value and could be worthy of more fantasy love: Xander Bogaerts, Carson Kelly, Andrew Benintendi, Alec Bohm, Trevor Story, Gavin Sheets,Lane Thomas, and Ryan McMahon.
Who is stealing bases, who isn’t, why, and how.
Bat Speed Leaderboard - Fallers
Just a note before diving into these numbers is that around 71 mph is the leader average bat speed.
| Name | 2024 Bat Speed (mph) | 2025 Bat Speed (mph) | 2025 Bat Speed Val (Runs/100) | ΔBat Speed (mph) | ΔRV/100 Swings | ΔHR% (% of Swings) |
| Christopher Morel | 76.1 | 72.9 | -1.66 | -3.2 | -2.1 | -1.26% |
| William Contreras | 74.7 | 71.7 | -2.59 | -3.0 | -2.0 | -1.13% |
| Javier Báez | 74.8 | 71.9 | -2.45 | -2.9 | -1.9 | -1.08% |
| Michael Harris II | 74.7 | 71.9 | -2.45 | -2.8 | -1.9 | -1.04% |
| Oliver Dunn | 75.2 | 72.5 | -1.98 | -2.7 | -1.7 | -1.01% |
| Rowdy Tellez | 74.4 | 71.9 | -2.45 | -2.5 | -1.7 | -0.94% |
| Edouard Julien | 71.9 | 68.3 | -4.13 | -3.6 | -1.7 | -1.02% |
| Elias Díaz | 73.9 | 71.6 | -2.64 | -2.3 | -1.6 | -0.90% |
| Jurickson Profar | 71.7 | 68.2 | -4.16 | -3.5 | -1.6 | -0.95% |
| Dylan Moore | 73.0 | 70.5 | -3.14 | -2.5 | -1.6 | -0.95% |
| Heston Kjerstad | 70.9 | 66.8 | -4.46 | -4.1 | -1.5 | -0.89% |
| Michael Conforto | 74.1 | 72.0 | -2.38 | -2.1 | -1.5 | -0.80% |
| Colt Keith | 71.3 | 67.8 | -4.26 | -3.5 | -1.5 | -0.87% |
| Mike Trout | 75.7 | 73.5 | -1.26 | -2.2 | -1.4 | -0.85% |
| Starling Marte | 72.4 | 69.9 | -3.39 | -2.5 | -1.3 | -0.86% |
| Willy Adames | 73.6 | 71.8 | -2.52 | -1.8 | -1.3 | -0.72% |
No, Rafael Devers is not on here. Devers has lost 1.9 mph on his bat speed so far, which has cost him -1.1 Run Value per 100 swings. That put him 36th on this leaderboard, which still makes him a name we want to watch for the next few weeks.
Christopher Morel - 2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays: As I mentioned before this chart, a bat speed around 71 mph is still league average, so Morel has lost 3.2 mph on his bat speed, but his 72.9 mph average is still a good number. He has had plenty of swing-and-miss issues in his career, so maybe he's taking a more contact-oriented approach early on? Of course, his swinging strike rate is still up, and he's struck out four times in 12 plate appearances, so who knows if that's actually working.
William Contreras - C, Milwaukee Brewers: Listen, this may be nothing, but Contreras played in 155 games last season, not including the playoffs. That can take its toll on a catcher. He's down three mph on his bat speed so far, which places him in basically league average territory and has cost him a 1.13% HR rate per swing and 2.0 Run Value per 100 swings. Those numbers stand out this early on, but it is still early, so maybe it won't be an issue.
Edouard Julien - 2B, Minnesota Twins: Julien has a shot to claim the second base job in Minnesota while Brooks Lee is sidelined, but he's down 3.6 mph on his bat speed and is averaging 68.3 mph overall. His early pull rates are down too, which may be connected, but this is an overly passive hitter who is now not swinging as fast a bat as before. I just don't like any of that.
Jurickson Profar - OF, Atlanta Braves: There's a joke in here, but I'm not going to make it.
Heston Kjerstad - OF, Baltimore Orioles: Kjerstad only has 13 competitive swings at the time of writing this, but I did want to mention him because he now has a chance to secure a starting spot in Baltimore's lineup. However, he has dropped 4.1 mph on his bat speed, which has put him down to a 66.8 mph average bat speed. That has also cost him .90% HR rate per swing and 1.5 Run Value per 100 swings. He also had a really bad spring training. I'm not so sure this is going to be a thing.
Colt Keith - 1B/2B, Detroit Tigers: Big YIKES here. Colt Keith has lost 3.5 mph on his bat speed, which has cost him 1.5 Run Value per 100 swings and .87% HR rate per swing. The bat speed drop has put him down at a 67.8 mph average bat speed. That's 244th in all of baseball, right around Taylor Walls and Tim Anderson. This is a major concern with the Tigers shifting Keith over to first base, especially with Spencer Torkelson off to a good start to the season. Keith has some leeway with all the injuries in Detroit, including the injury to Gleyber Torres that has allowed Keith to move back over to second base, but if this lineup gets healthy and these numbers stick, the 23-year-old may be in trouble.
Mike Trout - OF, Los Angeles Angels: Trout, like Juan Soto later on, is on here for losing over 2 mph in bat speed but remains above-average overall in the stat. However, if Trout keeps losing bat speed as he keeps enduring major injuries, you have to wonder when that will start to impact his overall production.
Willy Adames - SS, San Francisco Giants: Adames was coming off a career year in a contract season, so I get why people were "off" of him in draft season, but I still expected him to produce solid value in San Francisco even if he didn't run as much. However, he has lost 1.8 mph on his bat speed, which has cost him 1.3 Run Value per 100 swings. He's also struck out nine times in his first 26 plate appearances. We're gonna withhold judgment so far, but it's easy to tell yourself a story that the off-season preparation was not as intense coming off signing the big contract.
Juan Soto - OF, New York Mets: Soto has gone from 75.4 mph to 73.3 mph on his swing. It's still an above-average swing speed and it might be him adopting a less pull-happy approach outside of Yankee Stadium. I wouldn't worry about it.
Dylan Crews - OF, Washington Nationals: Dylan Crews is hitless through his first five games, so his showing up on this list is a bit concerning. He has lost 2.2 mph on his swing, which has cost him 1.2 Run Value per 100 swings and 0.77% HR rate per swing. What's more noteworthy is that he has dropped from 72.3 mph on his swing to 70.1 mph, which is now below the league average. Crews has 10 strikeouts in his first 19 plate appearances, and he's being pitched inside way more often to start this season than he was last year. If his bat is slower and hitters are coming inside on him, we could have a problem brewing.
Jorge Soler - OF, Los Angeles Angels: Soler is a 33-year-old power hitter, so his losing bat speed is not ideal, nor is his 4-for-20 start with eight strikeouts. Soler's bat speed is still 73.4 mph, so well above the league average and right in line with guys like Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker. However, we need to see if Soler can still be productive in the same way with that diminished bat speed. He ranks 25th on his sheet in terms of lost HR rate per swing due to his lost bat speed. If he were to lose power production, that would sap most of his fantasy value.
Spencer Steer - 3B/OF, Cincinnati Reds: Steer has lost 2.2 mph on his swing speed, which has cost him 1.0 Run Value per 100 swings. We know he's dealing with a shoulder injury, and it seems pretty clear to me that he's not healthy. I'm just not sure why he's still out there every day, but maybe that's just me.
Matthew Pouliot
